Robin catching bees

Oliverdog

I've been clearing out the drainage ditches around our garden today, stacking up the mud from the bottom on to the banks. We have two resident robin families and naturally the male robin was sniffing around to see what was going. I seem to have disturbed some bees nesting in the area, but after I had finished and stood aside to watch the robin, I saw him chasing the bees and catching them in flight, nicely grabbing them by the waist so they couldn't sting him. Experienced twitchers might tell me that this is common behaviour for nesting robins, but it's certainly a new one on me.

Stephentlig

me too, never thought robins went after bees :eek:

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Robins regularly eat worms, flys, maggots, moths, spiders, bees, beetles: the list goes on and on.

Great to watch them tackle bees though. The downside of course is that bee colonies have been badly hit the past few years and numbers are declining. We all know what will happen if we loose the Bees!

Edit: Forgot to say that appart from the time of year for Bees it has nothing to do with the fact that Robins are nesting!

Oliverdog

Do you mean that he's not taking the bees back to the nest for the hen ? We haven't tried to find where the nest is, but there's a small copse of birch and willow, and he disappears into there with the bee. He makes no attempt to eat it himself, but takes it into the muddy bank and taps it on the ground a couple of times before heading off with it.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Of course it could be bringing it to a mate but it could also just as likely be taking it away to a private/secure place to eat it.

Tapping it on the bank is just to kill the bee.

Durnish

birds and bees, it must be spring.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Always the comedian Durnish! Thanks, that really helped the discussion get going!:mad:

Everett

Miriam Careful Urine wrote: »

Always the comedian Durnish! Thanks, that really helped the discussion get going!:mad:

ha ha ha

Durnish

gosh, I was not meaning to offend anyone.

It seems that the robins on the cam only bring insects and grubs to their chicks, not anything they collect from a bird feeder.

Oliverdog

Well it gave me a smile.
We are clearing 200 yards of drains and the Robin is following me all the way. I'm putting up loads of insects in my quest to finish this job before the midges start biting.